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Bill Nunn, actor in “Do the Right Thing,” dead at 63

FILE - SEPTEMBER 24: Actor Bill Nunn, best known for his role as Radio Raheem in "Do The Right Thing" has died at the age of 63 BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 29: Bill Nunn attends The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences and BAMcinematek 25th anniversary screening of "Do The Right Thing" at BAM Fisher on June 29, 2014 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for : Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) Photo Credit: Getty Images North America / Craig Barritt

Bill Nunn, a veteran character actor whose credits ranged from the “Spider-Man” movie franchise to such Spike Lee films as “Do the Right Thing” and “He Got Game,” has died.

His wife, Donna, said Nunn died yesterday at his home in Pittsburgh. He was 63 and had been battling cancer.

A longtime Pittsburgh resident and graduate of Morehouse College, Lee’s alma mater, Nunn broke through in movies in the late 1980s, first in Lee’s “School Daze,” then in the Oscar-nominated “Do the Right Thing,” as the ill-fated Radio Raheem, who dies when choked by police during a street brawl in Brooklyn.

“Radio Raheem is now resting in power,” Lee wrote on Instagram, also calling Nunn “My Dear Friend” and “My Dear Morehouse Brother.”

Nunn, who stood well over 6 feet tall, went on to appear in dozens of films and TV programs, including “New Jack City,” Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy and “Sirens.”

Nunn was the son of a prominent Pittsburgh Steelers scout, also named Bill Nunn, and befriended future Steelers president Art Rooney II while both worked as ballboys for the NFL team. They would long savor a youthful prank, stealing the car of star defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene.

“Joe showed up in a beautiful, green Lincoln Continental,” Rooney explained last year. “Me and Bill Nunn were ballboys and somehow Bill got the keys one night and we decided to take it for a ride.

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